Method of and apparatus for deodorizing and dehydrating fluids



June 28, 1932. MURRAY 1,864,849

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DEODORIZING AND DEHYDRATING FLUIDS OriginalFiled May 10. 1926 s Sheets-Sheet 1 FIE .l.

June 28, 1932.. H. L. MURRAY 1,864,349

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DEODORIZING AND DEHYDRATING FLUIDS OriginalFiled May 10. 1926 :5 shets-sheet 2 June 28, 1932.

H. L. MUR'RAY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DEODORIZING AND DEHYDRATINGFLUIDS Original Filed May 10, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 a 4 EN hfl n -m w W4 u 2 W m H M7 Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRYLAMONT MURRAY, 01? AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, AssIGNoE To THE TE ABOHA DAI Ycome-ANY LIMITED, or TE AROHA, NEW ZEALAND nETHoD E AND APPARATUS FORDEoDoaIzrNe AND DEHYDRATING FLUIDS Application filed May 10, 1926,Serial No. 108,185, and in New Zealand May 12, 1925. Renewed November12, 1931.

- This invention relates to improvements in the dcodorizing anddehydrating of fluids and more especially to the deodorizing anddehydrating of dairy products, particularly cream. The method andapparatus consti- Ltuting the subject matter of this inventionv arefurther developments of the method and apparatus disclosed in the U. S.patent to H. L. Murray, No. 1,641,349, granted Sep- 1 tember 6, 1927 Anobject of this invention is an apparatus and method for thoroughlydeodorizing and dehydrating dairy products at sufficiently loWtemperatures that the dairy product is in nowise damaged.

According to the present invention, the dehydrating and deodorizing is.accomplished by washing the dairy product with large quantities ofsteam vapor during in-,

tense boiling of the dair product under vacuum, thereby maintainlng thetemperature of the dairy product relatively low. In this way, theodorous principles are eliminated by washing and are conveyed away bysteam as a medium of transfer.

.Other objects, novel features and -advan. tages of this invention willbe apparent from the following specification and accompanyin drawings.

eferring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a constructionalembodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a partially sectioned elevationof a complete apparatus, Figure 2 is a modification of apparatus shown1n Figure 1, Figure 3 is a sectional perspective view of the ejectorcondenser, Figure 4 1s a sectional elevation of the float chamber andthe froth eradicating valve, Figurefr-is a sectional elevation shdwingthe check valve 0 arrangement on the pump, Figure 6 is a sect1onalviewof the snifter valve shown in Flgure 2, and Figure 7 is a sectionalview of the inlet pipe as it passes to the container.

The apparatus as shown in Figure 1 comprises a container 1 substantiallycylindrical in shape with substantially hemispherical ends consisting ofa top section 2 and a bottom section 3 mounted on four hollow legs 4.The'top section 2 acts as a lid to the bottom section 3' an air tightjoint between the sections being formed by recesses 5 and 6 in providedwith a circular row of holes 9. The

holding together of the top section 2 and bottom section 3 at the rubberrings 7 and also the lifting of the top section 2 for access to theinterior of container 1 is effected by four "screws 11 operated bavhandwheel 12 with bevel pinion 13, and evel wheel 14 in mesh, thelatter being mounted on the screw 11 inside one of the hollow legs 4. v

The attaching castings 15 by means of which legs 4 are fastened tocontainer 1 act as bearings for the screws 11 which pass up and throughnuts 16 attached to the bottom ends of hollow columns 17 the latterpassing through guides 18 attachedto the bottom sec:

tion 3 and being fastened to attaching pieces 19 of the top section 2.Collars 20 are attached to the screws 11 to prevent lateralscrews 11simultaneously by means of four sprockets 21 attached to the bottom endsof the screws 11 and an endless chain 22 passing over the four sprockets21 so that turning of the one screw 11 by means of handwheel 12 causesthe other three screws 11 to also turn I per medium of the endless chain22. Pipes 23 between legs 4 cover and protect the endless-chain 22.

The bottom section 3 is surrounded by a steam jacket 24 and is providedwith steam. inlet pipe 25 and valve 26 and drain pipe 27. Surroundingthe steam jacket 24 there is a heat insulation jacket 28 of any suitableinsulating material such as hair felt.

On the top section 2 on the outside, there is fitted a flexible watersupply pipe 29 which supplies water through valve 31 for the jet 30 alsofor the spray pipe 32 through valve registered by a gauge 34.

Also fitted to top of top section 2 there is a vacuum breaking cook withcup shaped inlet 36 over which gauze is placed to prevent dirt frombeing drawn into container 1, and a vacuum gauge 37 and inspection ports38 and 39 the latter being also a lighting port.

The jet 30 see Figure 3 passes vertically down the center of ithecontainer 1 into the ejector or condenser 40 which is a hollow cone inshape open at the top but closed at the bottom by a terminating casting41 into which is screwed the ejector pipe 42 which passes out at thebottom of container 1, see Figure 1. Centrally situated on the inside ofejector 40 there is a series of cones 43 held in place by four bolts 44passing from the terminating casting 41 to the top plate 45 the latterhaving a number of holes 46 so that it will not obstruct passage ofvapours to the cones 43.

The cones 43have their throats 47 gradually increased in size, the topcone having the smallest throat and the others each a little larger thanthe preceding one. The cones 43 are kept at equal distances by hollowcylindrical distance pieces 48 each distance piece having four ports 49to allow passage of vapours to the cones 43. This arrangementconsiderably increases theefliciencyof the ejector condenser.

Inside container 1 there are four sweeps 50 fastened to the four sidesof a square boss 51 having a seating 52. The boss 51 is fastened to asleeve 53 which is an extension of a crown wheel 54 the sweepers 50being rotated by means of the crown wheel 54 and the bevel pinion 55 inmesh therewith attached to shaft 56 at the outer end of which there is afriction clutch 57 with operating handwheel 58, the

' clutch 57 being supported by a leg 59, side stays 60 to legs 4 and astay 61 passing between two of the legs 4. A bottom casting 62 is fittedin the center of the bottom of the bottom section 3 which supports thesweeps 50 at the seating 52. This bottom casting has a gland 63 formedin the center to prevent leakage from container 1 past the sleeve 53which passes through it.

A gland 64 is ormed on the under side of the crown wheel 54 to preventleakage from container 1 past the ejector pipe 42.

A housing 65 is fitted to the under side of the both n casting 62 whichsupports the drive shaft 56, the outlet 66 of the ejector pipe 42 and anidler shaft 67 to which is attached a bevel pinion 68 (in gear withcrown wheel 54) and a spur wheel 69 the latter driving a spur pinion 70attached to shaft 71 of centrifugal pump 72 supported by a stay 73between two of the legs 4.

The suction pipe 74 of the pump 72 is connected to the side of container1 and is fitted with a thermometer 75, the pump dellt .ry

pipe 76 being fitted with an adjustable check valve 77, see Figure 5,the lift of which is regulated by means of a screw 78.

To the side of bottom section 3 is fitted the liquid inlet mechanismwhich utilizes the vacuum for getting the liquid into the container 1.This inlet or supply mechanism consists of a float chamber 79 (seeFigure 4) at the top of which is the supply pipe 80 with a frotheradicating valve 81 held against its seat by a spring 82, fitted to aremovable cover 83 which has a hinged section 84 with a handle 85.

The inlet pipe 86 (see also Figure 7) to the container 1 has a seating87 over which is placed a slide valve 88 moved backwards and forward bythe rise and fall of a float 89 to which is attached lever 90 pivoted onbracket 91.

A removable cap 92 is fitted to a backward extension 93 of inlet pipe 86so that any liquid in the inlet pipe 86 and float chamber 79 after theoperation has been stopped, can be readily removed.

A pipe 94 with cock 95 attached to the bottom of container 1 allows anyliquid left therein, after stopping work, to be run off.

A valve. 96 on the steam supply pipe 97 a large hole 98a fitted with acover plate 99 which has three holes in it, two of the holes 100 beingprovided with inspection ports 38 and 39 (the latter not shown)the'other hole 101 having mounted thereto a goose neck pipe 102 whichpasses from the container 1' to the upper portion of the ejectorcondenser 40, in this case situated vertically outside of container 1and supported at its lower end b the terminating casting 41a tapered tofit neatly into a conically bored supporting casting 103 attached to theside of the container 1, this supporting casting 103 having the ejectorpipe 42 screwed thereto.

The upper end of the ejector 40 is provided with a cover 104 having agland 105 through which passes the .jet 30 supplied with water byflexible water supply pipe 29 through valve 31 the pressure of water atthe jet 30 being registered by the gauge 34.

Fitted to the goose neck pipe 102 there is the vacuum gauge 37 and alsoa snifter valve 106 (see Figure 6) which comprises a seating 107 withports 108, the seating, guiding valve 109 attached by a Bowden wire 110to shaft 116 having'a ball race 119 to take downward thrust, the saidshaft 116- having crown wheel 54 attached thereto.

A short leg 120 under housing 65 gives additional support tothecontainer 1.

- Tooperate the apparatus as disclosed in the ' Figures 1 and 2 assumeall valves closed and joints tight.

The container 1 is first of all sterilized by opening valve 96 whichadmits steam through.

pipe 98 to the container 1.

The valve 96 is then closed and jet valve 31 opened admitting highpressure water to the jet 30 the flow of water through the throats 47 ofcones 43 creating vacuum in container 1. The desired vacuum having beenobtained as indicated by vacuum gauge 37 the sweeps 50 are set in motionby slowly turning the handwheel 58 of friction clutch 57 which isconnected by belt to some source of power,

'the drive being transmitted through shaft 56, bevel pinion crown wheel54, sleeve 53 for Figure 1 and vertical shaft 116 Figure 2, and thesquare boss 51 to which the sweeps 50 are attached.

The hot liquid to be deodorized or dehydrated is now admitted to thefloat chamber 79 (see Figure 4) through inlet 80 past froth eradicatingvalve 81, the float 89 gradually rises moving the slide valve 88 on theseating 87 until the float chamber 79 is open to the inlet pipe 86. L

The suction caused by the vacuum in container 1 draws the liquid fromthe float chamher 79 the float 89 rising and falling and] preventing thevacuum in container 1 from ever becoming broken by air entering to itthrough the inlet pipe 86.

Steam is admitted to the steam jacket 24 through pipe 25 by openingvalve 26, condensed steam escaping through outlet pipe 27.

The heat of the steam jacket keeps up the temperature of the incominghot liquid and aids deodorization.

The revolving sweeps 50 and the vacuum in container 1 cause intenseebullition of the liquid which rises and comes in contact with thebaflie plate 8 oozing through the holes 9 its further upward coursebeing prevented by the shape of the baflle plate 8 which also serves todeflect the liquid so that it cannot enter the condenser or ejector 40,or goose neck pipe 102 of Figure 2, but falls downwardly. The vacuumdraws the hot .vapour arising from the liquid through the open top ofthe ejector 40 in Figure 1 and goose neck pipe'102 of Figure 2, throughholes 46 in the top plate 45 and through the ports 49 in the distancepieces 48 past the throats 47 of cones 43, through ejector pipe 42 andout of the ejector pipe outlet 66 in condensed form being thenpreferably carried away to a suitable place by a pipe, the end of whichmay be immersed in a barrel of water acting as a water seal.

- The interior of, the container 1 can be inspected during working bymeans of inspection ports 38 and 39 (the latter not shown in Figure 2),a light being placed over the latter and the glass of the former cleanedWhenever desired by opening spray valve 33, a jet of water from spraypipe 32 (not fitted on Figure 2) washing the inner surface of the glass.

In the modification shown in Figure 2, the snifter valve 106, see Figure6, designed to be finely adjusted and exceedingly delicate in operation,is set toadmit air to the container 1 when the vacuum of the latterexceeds the requisitedegree for the suitable working of the apparatus;it thus holds the vacuum stable, if the water pressure at the jet 30varies.

While the sweeps 50 are in motion, .cen-

trifugal pump 72 is also in motion from the same source of drive, fromcrown wheel 54 bevel pinion 68 and spur wheel 69 on idler shaft 67 andpinion 7 0. attached to the pump drive shaft 71 so that when the sweeps50' are set. in motion the pump 72 also rotates. Liquid in container 1flows into the suction pipe 74 and falls by gravity to the pump 72, thecentrifugal actionof which forces the liquid out through delivery pipe76, the How being regulated by means of a check valve 77 the lift ofwhich is regulated by adjustment screw 78, see Figure 5. The valve whichare conveyed away in steam as a medlum of transfer.

7 The steam in the steam jacket supplies heat to the liquid in the con-.tainer sufficient to insure continued and intense boiling thereof andthe vacuum maintained within the container insures constant boilingtemperature and the prevention of undue foaming. By means. of the sweepscentrifugal force is applied to the ,cream, thereby producing arevolving wall of cream conforming to the surface'of the. container.Within the revolving wall of cream are set up horizontal molecularcurrents from the hot surface of the container to the inner stratum ofthe cream. These currents are set up because of the diflerence inspecific gravity between the heated and the cooler molecules. Themolecules adjacent the heated surface become surrounded with myriads ofvapor bubbles whose presence lowers the specific gravity in thatneighborhood with the result that the heat laden molecules becomedisplaced from the heated surface by the cooler and heavier molecules.These in turn likewise become displaced and so a constant procession ofmolecules is set u The intense molecular circulation thus rought aboutgreatly assists the transmission of heat from the steam jacket to thecream mass, the result being the very rapid evaporation of part of thewater content. The steam vapor thus formed is applied to the individualmolecules and serves to entrain, dissolve or absorb the non-volatileodorous substances with which the cream is contaminated. The odoroussubstances thus removed from the cream are exhausted through thecondenser 40. a

When it is desired to stop the plant the source of supply is stopped,the float 89, see Figure 4, settles to the bottom of float chamber 79closing slide valve 88; steam valve 26 is closed when the liquid ceasesto flow from delivery 7 6 and vacuum is broken by opening Vacuumbreaking cock 35.

The jet 30 is stopped by closing valve 31 and the rotation of pump 72and sweeps stopped by turning handwheel 58 of the clutch 57.

The liquid left in the bottom of container 1 is run off by opening cook95.

The top section 2 can then be elevated for cleaning purposes with Figure1 by turning handwheel 12. This turns one screw 11 through bevel wheel14 attached thereto and bevel pinion 13 in gear with it the other threescrews 11 being turned by the endless chain 22 and sprockets 21, thenuts 16 being forced up the screws 11 lifting the columns 17 guided byguides 18 and the top section 2 attached to the columns 17.

In the modification shown in Figure 2, admittance can be obtained to thecontainer 1 for cleaning purposes by first of all pushing the goose neck102 away from the cover plate 99 so that it moves radially on thesupporting casting 103 the terminating cast-ing 41a turning thereinduring the operation.

Cover plate 99 is then removed leaving exposed the large hole 98a themoving of the goose neck 102 and the removal of the cover plate 99 beingreadily done when the container 1 is not under vacuum, the vacuum beingample to keep them in position and air tight when in use.

The vacuum maintained in the container for deodorization is preferablyabove ten inches of mercury and in the claims the words high vacuum areto be understood as meaning vacuum in excess of ten inches of mercury.

I claim:

1. A vacuum apparatus for deodorizing, dehydrating or pasteurizingliquids comprising a container having a steam jacket, the inner wall ofwhich container is a surface of revolution free from axial projections,means continuously to feed liquid into said container, means forsupplying and distributing steam throughout said jacket for heatingliquid in the container to and maintaining the same at boilingtemperature, a set of sweeps within said container, means to rotate saidsweeps, means for positively and continuous; ly withdrawing liquid fromsaid container, means capable of creating and maintaining high vacuumwithin said container by condensing vapors emanating from said liquidand exhausting fixed gases, and means for preventing increase of vacuumin the container above a predetermined degree thereby maintainingconstant the boiling point of the liquid in the container.

2. A vacuum apparatus for deodorizing, dehydrating or pasteurizingliquids comprising a container having a steam jacket, the inner wall ofwhich container is a surface of revolution free from axial projections,means continuously to feed liquid into said container, means forsupplying and distributing steam throughout said jacket for heatingliquid in the container to and maintaining the same at boilingtemperature, a set of sweeps within said container, means to rotate saidsweeps, means for positively and continuously withdrawing liquid fromsaid container, means capable of creating and maintaining high vacuumwithin said container by condensing vapors emanating from said liquidand exhausting fixed gases, an air inlet for said container, and agravity balanced Valve controlling said inlet for preventing increase ofvacuum in the container above a predetermined degree, therebymaintaining constant the boiling point of the liquid in the container.

3. A vacuum apparatus for deodorizing, dehydrating or pasteurizingliquids comprising a container having a steam jacket, the inner wall ofwhich container is a surface of revolution free from axial projections,means continuously to feed liquld into said container, means forsupplying and distributing steam throughout said jacket for heatingliquid in the container to and maintaining the same at boilingtemperature, a set of sweeps within said container, means to rotate saidsweeps, means for positively and continuously .-withdrawing liquid fromsaid container,

means capable ofcreating and maintaining high vacuum within saidcontainer by condensing vapors emanating from said liquid and exhaustingfixed gases, means for preventing increase of vacuum in the containerabove a predetermined degree thereby maintaining constant the boilingpoint of the liquid in the container, and a deflector within saidcontainer for returning heated liquid from the upper portion of thecontainer to the central bottom portion thereof.

\ 4. A vacuum apparatus for deodorizing,

dehydrating or pasteurizing liquids com.-

prising a container having a steam jacket, the inner wall of whichcontainer is a'surface of revolution free from axial projections, meanscontinuously to feed liquid into said container, means for supplying anddistributing steam throughout said jacket for heating liquid in thecontainer to and maintaining the same at boiling temperature, a set ofsweeps within said container, means to rotate said sweeps. means forpositively and continuously withdrawing liquid from said container,means capable of creating and maintaining high vacuum within saidcontainer by condensing vapors emanating from said liquid and exhaustingfixed gases. an air inlet for said container, a. gravity balanced valvecontrolling said inlet for preventing increase of vacuum in thecontainer above a predetermined degree, thereby maintaining constant theboilingpoi'nt of the liquid in the container, and a deflector withinsaid container for returning heated liquid from the upper portion of thecontainer to the central bottom portion thereof. 1 5. The method ofdeodorizing liquids by evaporating volatile essences and entrainingnon-volatile odorous substances, said method consisting in continuouslyintroducing liquid into a container, supplying heat to said container toheat the liquid within the con- 40 tairier to and maintain the same atboiling temperature, applying centrifugal force to said liquid toproduce a revolving wall of liquid ,and' effect horizontal radialmolecular circulation within said wall of liquid thereby continuouslyexpelling vapors and fixed gases from within the liquid, continuouslycondensing said vapors and exhausting fixed gases thereby maintaininghigh vacuum in said container, continuously withdrawing liquid from saidcontainer and preventing increase in vacuum above -a predetermineddegree thereby controlling the boiling point of the liquid.

- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

55 HENRY LAMONT MURRAY.

